Monday, October 12, 2015

Celebrating "gotcha" days

It's been six months since Abby's 1 year "gotcha day" celebration to mark when we adopted her. It is a decision I am glad we made. She is SO different from Barkley, yet she has her own unique personality, one that's become a treasured part of each day. She's was estimated to be about a five or six year old mixed breed, lab and possibly flat coated retriever it appears from her slightly longer, super soft fur with a red undertone, muzzle shape and tail. Such dogs are often overlooked as people look at younger and purebred dogs to adopt.

She'd been in foster care only a week when we met, a very loving lady and her husband, but the scars from time in a shelter showed in her eyes. She was lucky - black dogs are the last adopted and the first euthanized in shelters. She was rescued just hours from death by the wonderful people at Love of Labs Indiana. They get her started on the heartworm treatment that was necessary to keep her alive, then worked to find her a loving home when she was well enough from that treatment to be adopted.

This photo was taken the day I adopted her. She had been given a lot of love in the week her wonderful foster Mon had her, fed well and groomed carefully and had completed her heartworm treatment but she was still thin, scared at being someplace "strange" again after a week in a comfy foster home and was not even excited to get a treats.

Here she is now.

I miss Barkley each and every day, and know you can't replace any dog that's such a big part of your life. But my husband and I are so happy to have the love of this sweet girl our lives and smile every time we see her. Bless you Love of Labs Indiana for this beautiful girl you saved, and all you do to help the labs.

If you are considering a dog or cat for your home, please consider adoption - there are so many wonderful souls out there just waiting to be rescued.

9 comments:

Hari OMSo, so true.... and just look at Abby Labby.... side by side without having been told, one might mistake those piccies for two different doggies.... ABBY - YOU SCORED!!!! Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

So glad you found your furever home and look how you have flourished with all the love you have received. Now I just don't understand what's up with not wanting a black dog, I love the color black our fur is so shiny, silky, and glossy making us beautiful.

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"But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

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About Barkley and His Mom

My Mom started this blog due to requests from friends who wanted a place to go for stories of her furry friend Barkley that weren't in the book and stories of my rescue and new life in my furever home. She donates all of the proceeds from her writing to animal rescue and groups that train search and rescue and service dogs but that's OK, as she still gives me lots of dog treats and toys.

The Book of Barkley is Mom's first memoir. She used to be a jet pilot for somebody's Uncle but now has a Ph.D. in something involving science and bad guys, and a career in federal service doing something with secret squirrels and some good guys. Additional mayhem is provided by my Dad and our 100-year-old "fixer upper" Mission Bungalow.

Her second memoir "Saving Grace - A Story of Adoption" was published in April of 2015". Her Third Book - "Small Town Roads", her first Fiction Novel was published October of 2016 and was an NPR selected "2017 must read" and 2017 Readers Favorite International Book Award GOLD for "Fiction - Religious Theme". Her 4th book, "Calexit, The Anthology", a Novella with other authors, was published in October of 2017 and was on the Amazon Best Seller's list two days later.

Amen.

Abby the Lab Mom's Author Page

FIVE STARS

No one who has ever had a dog as a companion will be able to read The Book of Barkley: Love and Life through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever by L. B. Johnson with dry eyes.

Johnson tells the story of her life, from childhood to adulthood, from the perspective of her relationship with Barkley, a Lab that she got when he was just a stubborn ball of fur who ‘selected’ her when she viewed the litter of which he was a part. Her descriptions of adjusting to Barkley’s presence in her life, and how this helped her come to terms with and understand her past and learn to take life a day at a time on her own terms will resonate profoundly with anyone who has fallen in love with a dog and had to learn to live with its loss.

This is a story of unconditional love and acceptance, the kind that asks nothing but love in return. As Johnson and Barkley forge bonds of trust and understanding, she also strengthens her human relationships.

This is much more than a mere memoir – it is a story of life and how to live it, and how we humans can learn to live our lives better if we’d only learn to live it like a dog does. The author uses language well, with descriptions of animals, people, and places so vivid you feel that you can feel the textures, smell the odors (pleasant and otherwise) and hear the whining of a puppy needing to go out to do its business. Life can be sad or happy, and the author takes us through it all – a trip that you won’t regret taking. A five-star book that definitely merits the Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence

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